1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to surgical instruments for performing endoscopic (e.g. arthroscopic) surgical procedures. More particularly, the invention relates to instruments for detachably joining various arthroscopic instruments together.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Arthroscopic, or more generally, endoscopic surgery is performed by the manipulation of various elongated instruments inserted through natural body openings or portals created to access a surgical site. This is sometimes also referred to as "closed" surgery. The instruments may be, for example, arthroscopes, powered shavers or other cutters, manual instruments, etc. and they may be inserted directly through the opening or portal, or they may be inserted through a cannula. The instruments may in certain instances be temporarily connected or locked to the cannula and, from time to time during a procedure, a surgeon may desire to move an instrument from one cannula to another. Consequently, bridge systems have been developed to facilitate these movements and temporary connections. It has been found, however, that prior art bridge systems could be improved upon with respect to their locking and, in the case of arthroscopic procedures, fluid flow functions and it is an object of this invention to achieve such improvements.
An arthroscopic bridge is a generally cylindrical body having a distal end connectable to a cannula (by, for example, a bayonet type lock) and a proximal end connectable to an obturator or a trocar. Thus, a cannula/bridge/trocar assembly could be created and pushed through a small incision to establish a portal to access a surgical site. The trocar (which could be interchanged with an obturator as well known by those skilled in the art) could then be removed to open the aligned cannula and bridge channels to receive instruments or a scope. However, the known bridge systems have fixed proximal and distal ends that are not modular and do not enable interchangeability of cannula styles (i.e. distal end connections) with various trocar, scope, etc. styles (i.e. proximal end connections). That is, a cannula having a Linvatec/Storz type of connection cannot generally be connected to a scope having another type of connection.
In addition to bridge systems which permit the connection of cannulas to shavers, obturators, trocars, etc., arthroscopic instrumentation may include a sheath system which permits the connection of an arthroscope to a cannulated sheath which receives and protects the scope and its light transmitting optical fibers and provides a channel for communicating irrigating fluid to the work site. (The term "arthroscope" may be used interchangeably with "scope" or "endoscope", and generally refers to an elongated scope for visualizing a surgical site during closed surgical procedures.) A sheath or cannula may also include pressure sensing channels to convey pressure information from the work site. Prior art sheaths often impede fluid flow because of the design of the sheath and/or the design of the connection between the sheath and the scope. Furthermore, prior art sheaths are not known to be suitable for attachment to bridge systems and, therefore, movement of scopes and other instruments among a plurality of cannulas and scope sheaths is somewhat limiting, thereby leading to inefficiencies during closed surgical procedures.
It is accordingly an object of this invention to produce an arthroscopic component joining system for easily and securely joining selected arthroscopic instruments.
It is also an object of this invention to produce a modular arthroscopic component joining system enabling selected joining of arthroscopic components to produce either a bridge system or a sheath system of desired lengths.
As mentioned above, prior art bridge systems and scope sheath systems are also limited in their fluid flow performance. Consequently, it is another object of this invention to provide a system which optimizes fluid flow through the arthroscopic components, such a system being adapted to be either a stand-alone fluid adapter component or a modular component enabling creation of either a bridge system or a sheath system.